REGULATORY COMPLIANCE &
INVESTIGATIONS

Regulatory compliance in the Middle East is challenging. Clients often contend with a gap between written rules and actual practice; a body of opaque or unpublished requirements; and a high degree of free discretion exercised by the regulators and public authorities.

The firm advises clients on the applicable legal framework, while providing pragmatic advice on actual practice risks involved with non-compliance.

We also help local businesses understand contractual requirements to comply with applicable extraterritorial laws (including the U.S. FCPA and the U.K. Bribery Act) as required by multinational counterparts.

Recent Representative Matters:

• Created an OFAC trade sanctions compliance program for numerous clients including a Japanese technology company, a Japanese elevator manufacturer, a Japanese automotive manufacturer, a European industrial manufacturer, a Singaporean trading company, a European shipping company, and a Japanese food manufacturer, among many others
• Represented a Japanese trading company on the implementation of its compliance system across eleven offices in the Middle East and Africa
• Advised a leading European chemical manufacturer on its supply of products to sanctioned jurisdictions and required OFAC, EU and UN trade compliance
• Advising an Asian automotive company on sanctions issues involved with the use of their vehicles by organizations designated as Foreign Terrorist Organization by the US Department of State
• Advising a leading international logistics corporation on OFAC compliance of its transactions with Azerbaijan and Turkmenistan
• Advising a major Asian telecommunications supplier of resolution of sanctions issues regarding the supply and installation of mobile telecom equipment to a government operator
• Advised a German DAX-company on capital market and compliance issues under Egypt law in relation to an international takeover of a publicly listed European company
• Advised on numerous transactions relating to upstream oil and gas assets and change of control, license transfers, JOAs and contractual issues, and other regulatory and corporate matters
• Advised an Egyptian EGX-company on compliance and corporate governance issues under Egyptian law